Christianophobic

"And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.
Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. "
– Acts 5:12-13

Have you ever seen that face? You know the one. The one a non-believer gives when you say something incredible about how God has given you a blessing, chosen to give you divine healing, delivered a divine revelation, or even how God has given you a prophesy about some event yet to come? The eyes begin to look for the door, the feedback in the conversations becomes sparse. It’s the face that says "okay, now she’s getting all weird on me, this is too far fetched, this is too strange, and I have to find a way out of this conversation!"

We all have our limits as to what we will believe through faith. I can cross a bridge day after day and never have a fleeting thought about the bridge giving way and my car sinking into the water beneath. But others have problems crossing any bridge without having those thoughts. Others can’t climb to the top of a building and look out the window without feeling clammy, knees shaking, and their mouth going dry. Our phobias are based on our faith in what we imagine coming to life.

The early church faced a phobia of faith itself. The faith the early apostles had allowed them to do many great and wondrous things. They healed the sick, performed undeniable miracles, freed the captured, and grew the church. In spite of the fact that they became very popular to the public and were highly thought of, no one wanted to join them. Acts 5:13 says "Yet NONE of the rest dared to join them".

Today we often see the same thing. Many of our churches have healing services, or a night of prophesies being revealed, or even a group within the church who can do miraculous things. Yet often, because of our fear in what we don’t understand, we shun these Christians. Our minds cause us to fear what we cannot comprehend, which prevents our faith from growing enough to being to understand what is being done by the Holy Spirit through the church.

Are you one of those who cringes at the offer of attending a healing service? Are you uncomfortable with being anointed with oil, or having Christians lay hands on your in prayer? Talk to God about it. Ask Him to reveal to you the power that He has given even modern day Christians. If God is in the power you see, and God is in you, you will be able to discern the truth because the Holy Spirit within you will witness to the truth.

"There are diversities of gifts - but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries - but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities - but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills." - 1 Corinthians 12:4-11